LOTM: Witnesses of Sleepy Hollow/Characters/The Witnesses
The Witnesses are the main characters on the original FOX Series of Sleepy Hollow and its Fix Fic version on this wiki, LOTM: Witnesses of Sleepy Hollow and its sequel, LOTM: Star Spangled Crown. Their job is to protect the world from evil. There must be two Witnesses at a given moment so if one of them dies, the essence of their soul moves on to the next chosen Witness, suggesting that their souls are eternal. It's revealed that the Witnesses, Ichabod Crane and Abbie Mills, inherited the Witness mantle from their extended bloodlines. Their descendants weren't mentioned, except from an ancient tablet Crane found from his family tomb in Scotland between the events of Horseman Saga and Pandora Saga. It was over 2000 years old and it was titled "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." It was written in ancient Sumerian and it explained how they were known as the Destroyers of Darkness. They weren't really meant on devastating the world, but to destroy the monsters they face to save the world. Credits: Beside the original contents, this page also contains the contents from TV Tropes' index about the original series' Ichabod, Abbie & Molly due to the story's Fix Fic and Continuation Fic nature. See the list of its original authors. ''Important Note (MAJOR SPOILERS) *There must always be two Witnesses active at any given point. *As a soul of a Witness is eternal, once they die, the essence of their soul moves on to the next Witness. For example, upon Abbie Mills's death, the essence of her soul moved on to the next chosen Witness which is someone from their extended bloodline, Molly Thomas. Therefore, Abbie's soul lives inside Molly in ''LOTM: Star Spangled Society. **However, this is not in case if their souls was sealed in somewhere else after they were killed. For example, Ichabod killed Michael Langdon via the Sword of Methuselah, and some time afterwards, his soul was sealed into the Sword of Methuselah. After visiting Abbie's grave, Ichabod died in Selina's arms with his soul being trapped into the Sword of Methuselah, later used as a tool by Jasmine Porcelain to summon Lolth. *When a Witness reaches the age of 11, they are granted with the responsibility and power of a Witness. *Like other humans, Witnesses may be made into Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The creation of a Horseman from a Witness does not trigger the calling of the next Witness. *Only two Witnesses can exist at any one time. When Lara, a future version of Molly, traveled through time, she inherited her mantle as a Witness from her (due to being essentially one and the same) as well as gaining Abbie's soul as her spiritual mentor, making Molly the first Witness who had their mantle passed onto another person without dying. *It is possible to revive a Witness by casting a spell on him to keep his soul inside his body or somewhere else until he was revived by a powerful soceror or for some reason. For example, this happened to Ichabod twice. **When Ichabod was killed by the Horseman of Death, Katrina casted a spell on her husband to retain his Witness soul inside his body to revive him sometime later, but Katrina was trapped into Purgatory by Lady Van Tassel before she can revive Ichabod. 231 years later, the Horseman's awakening caused Ichabod to revive in the 21st century. **After killing Michael Langdon, Ichabod had his soul preserved in the Sword of Methuselah due to the Sword's nature. In Rose & Lolth Saga, after freeing Ichabod from the Sword of Methuselah by breaking it, Selina Strawberry managed to revive Ichabod after the defeat of Porcelain, before Ichabod's soul moved on into another young relative (later revealed to be Matt Butcher)'s body, the Witness mantle in Ichabod was kept. Selina later revealed that Matt was the spiritual successor of Ichabod but was afraid that Matt would be too immature to hold the mantle. ''Ichabod Crane ''"My name is Ichabod Crane. I was enlisted in the Queen's Royal Regiment, and sent to the American colonies to fight the Patroits. It didn't take long for me to have a change of heart. In 1781, I died on the battlefield, but I was saved by a mysterious spell cast upon me by my beloved wife Katrina. Now, I've been awakened more than two centuries later in a land I've no longer recognized - Sleepy Hollow." Captain Ichabod Crane, Esquire, is the main protagonist of the original Sleepy Hollow series as well as its Fix Fic version on this wiki, LOTM: Witnesses of Sleepy Hollow and its sequel, LOTM: Star Spangled Crown, with him being the husband of Katrina Crane, the father of Jeremy Crane and the arch-nemesis of Moloch and other evil forces like Michael Langdon. He also works with Abbie Mills and other members of Team Witness, as well members from the Rogues and Ratatoskr in times to solve threats and face enemies that are demons, devils or other dark entity forces from another worlds that seek to bring evil for their own selfish reasons, most notable from Triggers Hell while Katarina Couteau and Imperia faces enemies from Deus.Ex.Machina Industries Empire and Sith Empire. Born in London, Ichabod was a former professor of history at Oxford University prior to the American Revolution, comes to America with the British before switching sides to spy for the Colonists, under General George Washington. Ichabod first met supernatural event after his mother, Lady Crane, was killed by his father Lord Crane due to being suspected of committing witchcraft - an act under the manipulation of Ara Astaroth which traumatized Ichabod deeply. Later, Ichabod was shocked and disgusted by the tyrannical ways the British army treated colonists as well as the fact that the demons were among humans and tried to exploit the war. Ichabod later met Katrina who encouraged him to defect. After being expelled from the British Army, Ichabod was officially considered as a traitor from the British Empire but became friends to the Founding Fathers of the United States. In 1781, he dies while simultaneously beheading the Horseman, and their blood mixes together. Later, the Horseman is resurrected, as is Ichabod. Despite his skepticism, he proves to be an invaluable resource after his resurrection, due to his detailed knowledge of supernatural lore. As of Pandora Saga, Ichabod is applying for American citizenship to legalize his efforts to preserve the archive he and Abbie use to research their adversaries, although the application process is delayed due to Crane missing an important interview while trying to save Abbie from the Catatombs. As of Famine Arc, Crane is officially head of the Hudson Valley Historical Society thanks to Selina Strawberry, giving him an explanation for his expertise and a reason for his affiliation with the FBI. ---- ''"#-A" Tropes *'Action Dad:' Is both a father (granted, one in complicated circumstances) and a brilliant fighter. *'Adaptational Attractiveness:' Not to the TV series, but to the original tale by Washington Irving. The Ichabod Crane from the original short story is a spindly, lanky, nebbish type, with big ears and a long pointed nose, although still suave and charming enough to be considered attractive. This Crane is played by that guy to the right. *'Adaptational Badass:' To go with his handsome new looks, the TV seires' Ichabod has gone from a superstitious coward to a centuries-old badass. Even his credentials have been bumped up a bit; from simple country schoolteacher to an Oxford professor of history. In the storyline, there were also some detective traces from 1991 Tim Burton film combined into him. *'Adaptational Heroism:' In The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Ichabod is portrayed as a selfish Gold Digger who wanted to get the daughter and land of a wealthy farmer. This version is shown to have more honorable motivations. *'Agent Mulder:' It helps that, skeptic though he was in his own day, he has...well, let's just say he's seen and been through a lot. "B" Tropes *'Badass Baritone:' A certified badass with a resonating voice to match. *'Badass Beard:' A rather scruffy one. *'Badass Bookworm:' Ichabod was a history professor before he was conscripted. *'Badass Longcoat:' Rarely seen without it. *'Badass Teacher:' Both his original pre-war occupation and his modern-era cover story. *'Been There, Shaped History:' Name an American historical figure or event; chances are that Crane has met them or influenced their outcome in some way. *'Berserk Button:' Modern history's version of the Revolutionary War era, taxes on food, and having to buy water. *'Big Brother Instinct:' He starts looking out for Joe Corbin over the course of Season 3, to the point of giving him relationship advice. *'Blue Blood:' He was part of the English nobility. Didn't really like it, though, and he doesn't miss the fox-hunting. *'Born in the Wrong Century:' Ichabod is uncommonly open-minded and progressive for someone who was born in the 18th century, which is a very good thing when he wakes up in the 21st century and has to work with a black female police officer. He still has trouble adjusting, but he does fairly well for a man who slept through just about every civil rights movement. He was also friends with Native Americans. *'Broken Pedestal:' Played for Laughs with Ichabod and Thomas Jefferson, after the former finds out that the latter not only fathered six children by one of his slaves, but also took a quote of Ichabod's and claimed it as his own. Ichabod initially tries to discount the former as "prurient gossip" until Irving gives him a CliffsNotes on DNA and how it proves Sally Hemmings' children were indeed Jefferson's. *'Buried Alive:' Near the end of ''Purgatory Arc, he was ironically buried his son's former grave by Henry himself. ''"C" Tropes *'Clueless Chick Magnet:' Handsome, British, moral, intelligent, respectful; in short, a perfect gentleman. Crane has managed to attract the attention of many ladies, both in the present and the past, including Katrina Crane, Betsy Ross, Mary Wells, Selina Strawberry and later Lara Thomas. Ichabod has no idea how in either. However, with the exception of Katrina (his wife), Betsy Ross (his former romantic interest) and Mary Wells (his former fiancee before meeting Katrina), no other ladies were involved with a romantic relationship with Ichabod, but saw him as a friend in need instead. **- Abbie: She dumped her fiancé for you. Wow. You got some game.'' **''- Ichabod: I neither wanted nor did I invite "game."'' *'Cultured Badass:' Being an 18th-century gentleman, Ichabod has a thing for correct manners as well as works of Latin and Greek; knows Shakespeare's plays well enough to place a quote to its act and scene, and has read Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales in the original Middle English. Also, he's a good-enough fighter to face the Horseman of Death. *'The Comically Serious:' Ichabod is extremely poised despite the modern world's attempt to fluster him. ''"D" Tropes *'Deadpan Snarker:' Can be just as snarky as Abbie and Maria Arzonia. Let's just say: **- Ichabod: Yours isn't the first generation to invent sarcasm.'' *'Defector from Decadence:' In this interpretation, Ichabod started out as a British soldier before coming to agree with the American revolutionaries and switching sides. *'Disappeared Dad:' His son, Jeremy, was born after the Battle of Lexington and, until "Sanctuary," he didn't even know that he had one. *'Drives Like Crazy:' By War Arc, he has some impressive driving skills, the kind that are more suited to a combat situation than peak-hour traffic. ''"E" Tropes "F" Tropes *'Fish out of Temporal Water:' Although he has adapted to a surprising degree. He still doesn't understand or anticipate everything, but he's not floundering and freaking out. *'The Future Is Shocking:' Averted, largely. He takes his time displacement in stride and is more bemused rather than overwhelmed by the changes in American society and technology. However, the plastic packaging on his newly-purchased razor quickly frustrates him, and he is unnerved by computers and the Internet. In fact, what upsets him isn't the things that are entirely strange, but the familiar things that are slightly different, like the fact that you have to pay for water, ten-percent taxes on baked goods, and prices in general. "G" Tropes "H" Tropes *'Heroic B.S.O.D.:' Has a noticeable one when he finds out that Abraham is the Horseman of Death. Same thing happens when he finds out his son is dead (or so he thinks...). *'Heroes Prefer Swords:' Ichabod is an accomplished duelist, and while he doesn't normally carry or truly own one (he has access to several, but none of them are his), he often will wield a sword in combat whenever the opportunity presents itself. Justified given his prior firearms experience was entirely with single-shot smoothbore muzzle-loading black powder flintlocks which required a minimum of 20 seconds to reload and were notoriously inaccurate, resulting in him tossing away a present-day semiautomatic pistol with a full magazine after firing it once. *'Heroic Sacrifice:' At the end of ''Anti-Christ Saga, immediately after Abbie sacrificed herself, Ichabod realized that the Witnesses' destiny was connected to sacrifice. He used the Sword of Methuselah to kill Michael Langdon in his final attack, thus ending up sealing his soul into the sword. He was not revived ever since the death of Michael, until Selina managed to restore Ichabod from the Sword of Methuselah by breaking it. *'Huge Guy, Tiny Girl:' Ichabod is at least a foot taller than Abbie. ''"I" Tropes *'Iconic Outfit:' It's impossible to imagine him without the Badass Longcoat. "J" Tropes "K" Tropes "L" Tropes "M" Tropes "N" Tropes "O" Tropes *'One of Us:' An In-Universe example. He's implied to be a fan of ''Glee; he mentions watching the season finale in Nick Hawley Sub Arc. At the time, Glee had wrapped up its fifth season, which began in the middle of a Story Arc. Thus, he would have had to watch at least some of Season 4 to follow the storyline (and most of the three seasons before that if he wanted to have any idea who these characters were in the first place). Let's just say it's not hard to imagine Ichabod on a Netflix binge. At Abbie's urging, he's also been learning about superheroes, though he doesn't quite have it down yet. ''"P" Tropes *'Papa Wolf:' In ''Lost Family Sub Arc when he learns Katrina gave birth to his son, he makes Moloch's minion regret ever screwing with them. **''- Ichabod: Give Moloch and Lady Van Tassel my regards.'' *'Photographic Memory:' Although being a physician and a gentleman, learning multiple ancient languages would have been par for the course. The memory just helps explain why he remembers all the myriad tiny details of the mystic stuff happening during the Revolution that are still quite relevant today and why he can draw a map from memory to the exact detail. ''"Q" Tropes "R" Tropes *'"The Reason You Suck" Speech:' He gives a truly awesome one to Henry in ''War Arc, outright calling him "an angry, unruly child." *'The Rival:' To Christine Van Bilj and her later reincarnation, Kristen Kiwifruit. ''"S" Tropes *'Sealed Good in a Can:' Basically what happened to Ichabod in the past; his blood mixed with the Horseman's when he cut off his head, linking them, so Katrina had to put Ichabod into a sort of stasis to keep the Horseman sealed in its own can. However, the Horseman's awakening caused Ichabod to awaken as well. *'Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness:' To Abbie's frequent frustration. **- Abbie: I don't have any idea what that means. Just say "yes!"'' *'Sesquipedalian Smith:' Compared to his first name, Crane is fairly common. Agent Seeley Booth lampshaded this when Ichabod visited the Jeffersonian Insititute. *'Sherlock Scan:' This is a talent of Ichabod's. In "The Sin Eater," from a quick study, he is able to determine the surname of his captor, his lineage, his occupation, and that he is a Freemason. *'The Snark Knight:' For a guy with a vocabulary two centuries out of date, he can handle himself quite well. *'Supernaturally Young Parent:' His son, Jeremy/Henry, is physically an old man while Ichabod himself still appears young. ''"T" Tropes *'Tall, Dark, and British:' Described as such by Jenny. *'Tall, Dark, and Snarky:' Most of Ichabod's snark is aimed at modern inventions and ways. **- Ichabod: (to Abbie) The extent of which your generation has defiled this earth is truly mind-boggling.'' *'Trademark Favorite Food': Donuts. He absolutely fell in love with it after Abbie bought one to him at the beginning of Death Arc. By Pandora Saga, donuts have become his favorite food, and among all varieties, maple bacon donuts and plain sugar donuts are his absolute favorites. *'Troll:' The opening to 2x04. Crane spends a few minutes acting terrified to drive...then he pulls some expert-level rally-driver stunts, freaking Abbie right the hell out. *'Weapon of Choice:' Aside from a sword, starting in the second season, after getting it from Hawley, his most common weapon is a magically empowered 15th-century crossbow, going with his line of work. ''"U" Tropes *'Unwitting Pawn:' He played right into the hands of many Manipulative Bastards in spite of being the Hero of the story, most notably Henry Parrish, Selina Strawberry (without villainous intentions) and Phyllis Peach. "V" Tropes "W" Tropes "X" Tropes "Y" Tropes "Z" Tropes Abbie Mills Abbie's Reincarnation Molly Thomas - Child Lara Thomas - Adult Lara Thomas is the triangonist of ''LOTM: Star Spangled Crown. She is a future version of Molly Thomas from an alternate future where Malcolm Dreyfuss conquered America. After traveling to the past to prevent Malcolm from succeeding, she had allied herself with Ichabod Crane and his friends from Agency 355. It was revealed that Molly's mantle as a Witness had been passed to Lara since only two Witnesses can exist at any one time. After Diana Thomas was transformed into the Horseman of War and Mitch Talbot had been lost in action, Molly had been sent to St. Agatha's Orphanage where she had lived at for years before she had been adopted by Malcolm. He made her believe that the real enemies are Crane and his allies after framing him for the alleged death of her mother. Under Jobe's tutelage, Lara had trained herself to master the utilization of mystical artifacts and weapons as well as hand to hand combat to prepare herself to defeat anyone in their way. After confronting a future version of Jenny Mills who tried to help her see past Malcolm's deceit, she refused to listen and bluntly stated that her real name is Lara, which was given to her by Malcolm. Jenny had attacked the Horseman of War with Delilah's Dagger; a special blade that can penetrate the armor of any one of the Four Horsemen, which resulted in the Horseman of War stabbing her with its flaming sword. Lara received a brief glimpse of her mother's face before the damage to the Horseman's helmet had repaired itself which made her begin to doubt Malcolm's motives. After confronting Malcolm who told her that Crane was dead, Lara had visited the prison where he was held captive where she finds an older version of Crane alive and imprisoned within a large cell. Crane told her to use The Traveler's Spell, recorded in John Dee's Grand Grimoire, to travel to the past to prevent Malcolm from succeeding with his plans since everything began the moment that Diana had been transformed into the Horseman of War. After retrieving the Grand Grimoire and casting the Traveler's Spell, Dreyfus attempted to shoot her and prevent her from thwarting his plans, but she was able to travel back to the past along with Delilah's Dagger and a few Atlantean Crystals. Category:TVTropes' LOTM: Witnesses of Sleepy Hollow Category:TvTropes' LOTM: Sword of Kings